CHESHIRE captain Andy Hall has been around a bit in the game
- even by his own admission.
And over the winter that led to rumours to whether the talented
batsman was going to return to play for Bramhall, his club in
the Murray Smith Accountants Cheshire County League Premier Division,
and more importantly, if he was going to captain his county for
a second season having taken over the reigns from long-serving
captain Ian Cockbain in January last year.
But rumours are not always to be believed and Hall, who has already
discovered some good form with the willow this season, is biting
at the bit to get back into the County fray.
A well-earned break over the winter playing cricket in Australia,
as well as working Down Under, hasn't take the gloss and appetite
off captaining the county he has grown up playing for.
"Cheshire has always been my county and I've captained the
youth sides, so I'm very proud to be the captain again this year,"
said Hall, who is confident of guiding his team to success this
term. "I didn't hear anything different when I was in Australia.
We didn't particularly have a good run last season, but if they
offered me the job I was I was always going to do it. We under-achieved
last season, but I'm really looking forward to the challenge of
doing better."
Hall was born in Gorton, Manchester, and it didn't take him long
before he was producing the type of innings and commanding respect
from fellow players that established him as a household name
in the top leagues in the North West.
Successful spells at Marple, where he began his career and played
until he was 18; Stockport, Atherton and then as Bradshaw's professional
in the Bolton League, were some of the key stages which led to
Hall developing into the player he is today - and also giving
the Cheshire selectors the confidence to give him the captaincy
after Cockbain had done the job for a staggering 11 years on the
trot.
And now Hall is determined to repay that confidence and build
a foundation in which Cheshire can compete with the best teams
in the Western Conference.
"There's obviously six games in the Championship, but it's
going to be hard if we lose the first one because it's not a long
season," said Hall. "We need to get off to a good start
against Dorset in our first match and we have definitely got the
players to do that."
But as well as having his sights sets on seeing if Cheshire can
have a successful season in the Minor Counties Championship, Hall
is optimistic of staging a good cup run this year, especially
in the Minor Counties Knockout Cup, which he believes could favour
his side if they play to their true potential.
"With it reverting back to the Minor Counties Knockout this
season you can see a path to the final having only played three
games, where as last year you had five group games and then you
were into the quarter-finals - so it was seven games before you
got in the final and played at Lords," said Hall, "but
now we have had a bye in the first round and if we beat Northumberland
in the next round we are into the last-16 and you can start to
see the finishing line."
But Hall is adamant that Cheshire have to play their strongest
squad this season if they are to stand a chance of challenging
for honours.
"If we can get our best XI first team out this season in
the six championship games, then I'm sure we'd be a challenge
for anyone and I'd be surprised if we weren't up there in the
last game challenging to win it.
"In an ideal world I would love to have the same team for
every match, but it is a big commitment to play for Cheshire because
of work and family commitments. It's hard because it can take
14-15 days of your holiday up, so you have got to be prepared
to make sacrifices, but we know that our success depends on availability
this season and hopefully we can improve on that."
And the former Minor Counties Under-25 captain is looking for
those youngsters who were given the opportunity to prove themselves
last season to step up this time around and hopefully make a name
for themselves, as well as the more experienced players in the
squad.
Promising opening batsman Danny Leech, a former clubmate of Hall
at Bramhall, until a move to Oulton Park this season, is just
one of the players which the Cheshire captain is backing to make
his mark.
"Young Danny Leech played last year and he grabbed his chance,
so he's one of the first on the teamsheet this year," added
Hall."The same with Nafees Din (Mobberley) who is also a
good player. Those two lads maybe wouldn't have got a chance when
we were picking the team last year, but because of a lack of availability
they came in and took their chance - so as far as I'm concerned
they'll be in the first few games and if they play well they should
stay in the team."
Sound advice and a huge amount of faith from a player who has
scored over 1,500 runs for his county at an average of 40.12.
Those career statistics, which includes two centuries and no fewer
than 11 fifties, has earnt Hall the respect he so richly deserves.
But the Cheshire skipper still believes he has got more to offer
his county, along with his club.
"My form has been alright, I've not played too bad, but I'm
not completely happy," added Hall. "I think I can play
a lot better, but we don't rely on just me, we've got a lot of
players including the two professional lads from outside the county
which can give you that something extra. It's always nice to have
that because you can always throw the ball to them if you need
to bowl a side out. We have got a good balance this year, so if
we start well I'm sure we can build from that."